


Moonlight on the Waves

by bitbyboth



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-09 17:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8905702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitbyboth/pseuds/bitbyboth
Summary: Moana finds herself missing Maui after some time apart. Her village is beginning to expect she fulfill all her obligations as the new chief but she has a hard time choosing between what she knows is probably the right course of action and what she really wants. Maui meanwhile is trying to solve his own internal dilemma on whether a mortal and a demigod relationship can work.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> CHAPTER UPDATED 12/19/16 4:48 PM Eastern US Time  
> Hello, I've only seen Moana once, so apologies if the characterizations are a tad off. I just really fell in love with the characters and wanted to do something nice with them, so I hope you all enjoy.

The grass whispered as calloused feet carefully slid through it, Moana slowly making her way down to the beach while the rest of the village slept. The moonlight gleamed off the ocean waves and she smiled and took a deep breath as the salty air hit her face.

She slipped off on her own every once in awhile to take these trips for herself, it always made her feel like a kid again, sneaking away to the ocean. Being chief kept her all too busy during the day so the only time it seemed to make sense was to slip out in the dark of night. She brought a small satchel of provisions, just in case bad weather or rough seas should befall her, but the skies were clear and the water looked fairly smooth. She dropped the bag into the boat before grabbing hold of the prow and digging her feet into the sand, pushing it out into the water.

  
Her body seemed to move almost of its own accord, preparing for her quick voyage. It all seemed second nature to her now what had been completely foreign scarcely six years ago. It was relaxing in a way and she smiled as she dipped her hand into the water, a quiet way of saying hello to the ocean again.

The trip was quiet and she found herself looking up at the stars above, a smile tinging her lips as her gaze landed on the constellation of Maui's hook. She missed him, the big dope. He tended to pop up every few months or whenever it suited him, weaving tales of smoted-smitten-smited? monsters and new lands. It had been nearly a year now since his last visit and she was beginning to wonder if something happened to him, or if he was simply having trouble locating her. She didn't think that the demi-god was avoiding her on purpose, though she could be wrong, the man could certainly be unpredictable.

  
Still, they were close friends, and sometimes more than that. The memory of his strong arms around her and his searing kisses made her face flush and a warm tingle spread over her skin. Maui was anything but subtle and tended to just go for what he wanted. He had managed to be rather charming, in his own Maui kind of way, when he'd pursued her. She'd been a little more hesitant, knowing his nature of being rather harsh, self-absorbed and flighty. However...he always did return, and Maui just wouldn't be him without his overly inflated ego. To be frank, she didn't resisted being chased for long, actually getting the drop on him and making the first move, since he'd made his intentions clear on the matter. She thought it was only fair, even though he later teased her about stealing his thunder, it was all in good fun, and the memory only inspired more warmth in her chest. On the tail end of that lovely feeling however came a heaping helping of guilt. There was growing pressure on her to marry so that she could produce the next in the line of chieftains. She could do it for the good of her people, marry a some man from another village...but everything she'd ever done had been for her people, for their success. Wasn't this one choice where she could be just a little selfish? It was her life. Yes she had a duty but...

  
Moana sighed as she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. It was a conflict that warred in her every night, her head verses her heart. Her head said she had to do what was best for her village and her heart longed for Maui and adventure on the sea. She could marry him, she sometimes reasoned, surely no one would protest to that-except for Maui of course. He was a free spirit, he'd never consent to that, she thought, he wouldn't want to be tied down. She would be an inconvenience.

  
After a time she angled the boat back towards the shore, hopping out in the shallows to push the canoe up onto the sand. Once it was properly beached, she huffed a sigh that puffed out her cheeks.

  
"Did that really take that much outta you Curly?" a familiar voice taunted her, and despite her negative thoughts her expression lit up.

  
"Maui!" she grinned, but kept her voice down a bit so as not to alarm the rest of the village.

  
"The one and only," he said smugly, spinning his fish hook in his hand, the other held open in welcome invitation.

  
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, strolling over to him. His free arm scooped her up as soon as she was in range and she wrapped hers around his neck, giving him a squeeze. "It's good to see you," she said softly. "So where have you been?" she asked, pulling back with a knowing smile and a raised brow.

  
It was like opening a dam, the demigod falling into a series of stories of new islands discovered or created (by him of course) and what mysteries they hid away and the monsters he had vanquished. Moana listed with a bemused smile as he led them over to an outcropping of rock, placing her down so he could pose and gesture more grandly during his storytelling. After awhile he finally gave pause, his smile falling slightly.

  
"So what have you been up to? You made it quite a ways since the last time I saw you," he offered and that told Moana enough to guess that he had indeed lost track of them, which could explain why it had taken so long to show up again.

  
"We are voyagers," she smiled easily in response, leaning back on one hand on the rock. "We've been travelling, exploring, building new settlements."

He took a seat next to her. "And what about you? How have you been, Princess?" He tried to lighten his tone with the nickname, but he'd seen her out sailing not too long ago, she'd seemed...unhappy and so distracted she hadn't even noticed him flying overhead.

  
She frowned, his questions bringing her back to her previous thoughts. "I-I've been alright," she lied, hurriedly and Maui gave her a little shove with his shoulder, even the little Maui on his chest folding his arms and looking expectant. She let out a sigh and played with a bit of her hair. She didn't know how to talk about this.

"Is being chief harder than you expected or...?" his voice had softened a little to be a tad more serious. He'd watched her grow into her role as chief, she seemed to flourish, especially with them travelling a lot now where she didn't have to choose between her people and the ocean.

  
She shook her head, that wasn't exactly it. "That's...not it. It's just that...being the chief comes with certain responsibilities," she sighed, getting to her feet to pace a little, seeming restless.

  
"Yeah of course," he said, that easy grin returning to his face. "Making decisions and all that."

"Not that. I can handle that." She'd been groomed for it all her life after all. "...I'm getting older Maui, I'm going to be twenty-two next month." The demigod's expression soured some at the reminder, his gaze shifting away from her. Moana wrapped her arms around herself despite the warmth of the evening. "I'm expected...It's my duty to be married and produce heirs," she said, her voice firm. It was for her people and she knew deep in her soul that she would walk this road, with or without Maui.

That drew the man's attention back to her. She'd grown into her own, confident, intelligent, brave, but seeing her standing there before him, almost curled on herself, waiting for his response, he could almost see the girl who had managed to stumble her way onto his island purgatory those scant few years ago.

"Is that your way of proposing Curly?" he smirked.

She could feel heat in her face, but her gaze hesitantly darted from the ground to his face and back. He almost seemed like he was considering it...that or he was setting her up for a cruel joke. Either was just as likely if she were being honest. "I suppose it would be, but I don't think..." she felt a lump growing in her throat and she silently cursed herself as she tried to swallow it down. "I don't think you will," she managed, figuring she was just making herself look stupid.

He sighed and reached out to touch her arm, she flinched just slightly, but didn't pull away. "You don't think I'll marry you?" he repeated, pulling her a little closer to him.

Her spine straightened a bit and she met his gaze, it was so intense he almost had a hard time holding it. "You are Maui, demigod of the air and sea, both free and unpredictable. You like to fly, explore and adventure. Why would you-?"

"And I love Moana. The girl who left home with no idea how to sail, who fervently refused to be left behind, plunged into Lalotai and returned the heart of Te Fiti," he smiled, a tender kind of affection in his gaze.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes and didn't know what to say so she let out a short laugh. "Is that your way of saying yes?"

"If that's what you want Princess, and who wouldn't want Maui by their side?" he grinned with a wink.

She barked another short laugh before throwing herself in his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck as she kissed him. His own arms slid around her frame as he returned the kiss, the gesture quickly becoming fervent and heated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read this chapter, I updated the first chapter (12/19/2016) in case you haven't read it I added about another paragraph of backstory between these two so please check it out if you haven't.  
> Enjoy!

Moana trembled slightly under his large hands, heat beginning to pool in her belly as he effortlessly pulled her against him. Her teeth scraped at his lower lip before his tongue slipped into her mouth, tangling with her own. Her hands stroked over his skin, feeling the slight ridges and smoothness between the skin that was inked and that that wasn't. His strength actually impressed her, even though she'd never tell him as much, she'd probably never live it down.

She sighed against his lips. He'd been away for too long, she thought to herself, finally having to break the kiss to breathe, her hands returning to his shoulders. He squeezed her hips, tilting his head slightly to one side to watch her, wondering what she was thinking. She just smiled and wrapped her arms around him again, squeezing him hard.

He shook his head. "Missed me that much, huh Curly?" he teased her, not really meaning it.

She nodded silently and his smile grew more warm. Who would have thought most of humanity would have to forget about him to find one that actually really appreciated him? It seemed rather counter-intuitive to Maui, but humans had always been rather fickle. He'd always wanted humans to love him, the more the better, but it seemed for the most part that adoration and hero worship was only skin deep, the moment trouble had come his way-trying to help them no less-everyone turned their back on him and he had to start all over again.

The thoughts gave him pause...If he married Moana, he would be binding himself to her in a way that he'd never really extricate himself from. He'd have to watch her grow old and eventually die...and she had mentioned heirs...so their kids too-well assuming they weren't demigods of some sort like him. His heart ached a little, but it wasn't only sadness, it was a heartbreaking amount of desire. This was something he wanted. He wanted to be with Moana the stubborn, clever little beast of a woman who stood up to him, challenged him and even built him up when he was at his lowest.

He wanted her forever.

Was that possible? He wondered to himself...Surely if-

Moana shifted a bit in his arms, looking up at him with a smile and lifting a hand to run across his cheek. "You're being awfully quiet Maui, run out of things to say about yourself?"

He blinked from his thoughts in a snap. "Nope, actually I was thinking about the time I defeated the monsterous octopus-have I told you-?"

She laughed. "Yes! I'm sorry I asked, of course you were just thinking of the next story to tell," she giggled, resting her cheek against his chest, her eyes falling closed. His presence was comforting to her, his skin smelled like a sunny day on the sea. His hands ran over her back, drawing her further in relaxation.

"So what's next?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

He chuckled. "Am I putting you to sleep Curly?"

"No, of course not!" she chuckled. "What do you mean, what's next?"

"Well, I've never gotten married before, I assume there are certain...customs," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, right, of course," she chuckled, finding a blush on her cheeks. "Well, you've met my parents..." Maui wasn't exactly a fixture in the villiage, but he did occasionally show up. He was always the center of attention when he did, the kids always begged him to tell them stories of his exploits and he would happily tell them again and again, soaking up their adoration. Everyone else treated him with respect, except Moana and he usually razzed her about it. "A suitor usually brings gifts when asking to marry their daughter," she finished explaining.

He let out a huff. "You saying I'm not a gift?" he asked incredulously.

She sputtered another laugh. "I assume you're not going to be giving yourself to my parents."

"Maui is hero to all," he reminded her, sounding only a tad cheeky.

She lightly shoved his shoulder, still smiling. "Please be serious about this Maui.

"Alright, alright, I gotta bring something to woo your parents. Then what?"

She shrugged and let out a yawn. "Then we get married," she replied with a contented smile.

He smirked and brushed her hair back from her face. "And then?"

"We get some little Moanas running around," she teased him, her eyes remaining closed.

He had to keep from laughing, since his shoulders shaking would jostle her. "How do you know they won't be little Mauis?"

"Because I don't think I could handle more than one," she replied without missing a beat. This time he did laugh before laying back, cushioning his head on his hand over the shelf of rock. Moana shifted, sliding off him and laying on her back next to him, looking up at the starry sky. "How did you manage to lift the sky so high?"

He smiled and told her the story, his tone low and mellow instead of boisterous and grandiose as usual.

By the time he was finished Moana was asleep, her mouth hanging open and soft snores coming from her. Maui figured he would be offended if that hadn't been his angle in the first place. He had to figure out what to bring that would be worthy of her after all and spend some more time pondering the feasibility of immortality for humans.

He rolled himself up to his feet and turned towards her intending to carry her to a more comfortable place to sleep than the solid rock they'd laid out on. He paused however catching sight of the tattoos on her legs, as he always did, his eye drawn to the stylized version of his fish hook that curled around her right knee cap, the heart of Te Fiti resting in the middle of it, a permanent reminder of their adventure.

He shook his head. One of many if he had any say in the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what's happening. To be honest I was planning on this being more of a PWP, but it seems that Maui and Moana-Maui specifically have some significantly different plans. Adventurous-type plans that I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to execute XD I've been doing my homework and I know that in legend Maui actually dies trying to achieve immortality for humans, but that's not the route that I want to take, so I may end up making up something myself :3  
> I also feel like I'm touching on a lot of themes here that a lot of other authors are tackling, so hopefully no one thinks I'm stepping on any toes, I just think that this particular set of circumstances is quite interesting to delve into.
> 
> Hope you guys like it so far and if you have any suggestions I would gladly hear them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, there were a couple of setbacks in writing it. My computer crashed the first time I wrote Moana's scene and I lost the whole thing and I wrote Maui's scene whilst I was at work and lost the paper XD  
> However, I got the novelization of the movie and also went to see it again, so I think it may have been for the best this chapter took so long. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback too, I really appreciate it :)

When Moana opened her eyes again she was in her own bed and was not entirely sure how she got there. She didn't remember walking up from the beach. She was watching the stars while Maui talked, his deep voice so smooth and soothing-she must've dozed off. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks, wondering if the demigod was going to be mad about it. Then again...she somehow got to her bed. One of the villagers probably would have just awakened her so...it had to have been him that brought her here, she reasoned, which would have meant he wasn't too put out by her drifting off.

  
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked around. "Maui?" she murmured. Just because she couldn't see him didn't necessarily mean that he wasn't around. After a few minutes of searching however she determined he wasn't even hanging around in his little beatle form ready to leap out and scare her, otherwise he would have by now. She shrugged her shoulders and started preparing for the day.

  
She figured Maui was just out in the village, telling the stories he'd weaved last night for her for the children. When she struck out and set to work at her daily tasks she didn't see hide or hair of the boisterous demigod. The children weren't overly excited and the women didn't gossip about him.

  
_'He must have gone...'_ she thought to herself as her hands were busy with basket weaving. _'Maybe he had something important to do...'_ It still bothered her that he hadn't even roused her to say goodbye, little knots of worry tying themselves in her stomach. A groove also formed itself between her brows as doubtful thoughts started to filter through her mind. Was last night...real? Could she have dreamed it all?

  
That idea bothered her and she stopped suddenly and got to her feet, taking off at a run for the beach. Maybe...there had to be some indication that he'd been there. She stopped where the dirt started to turn to sand, the latter forming lumpy patterns where feet had displaced it. She pushed her hair back from her face, looking over the scene before her, not even sure what she was looking for.

  
She let out an exasperated sigh at herself and trudged down to her boat finding the bag of provisions she'd brought down with her the night before. Her gaze lingered on the outcropping of rock where she and Maui had sat and talked last night. She looked down and saw a large area where the sand was disturbed from the eager demigod telling his stories. So...she was reasonably sure it wasn't a dream so where did he go...?

  
"Moana?" she looked up at her mother's voice and plastered a smile on her face as she picked up the items from the boat and started back inland from the shore.

  
"Just forgot some things out here!" she said brightly, hoping to avoid discussing the topic. She honestly wasn't sure how her mother would take the news-if there even was any. What if Maui had changed his mind and flown off?

  
She shook the thought away as Sina approached. "You seem troubled today Moana...distracted maybe."

  
"What me?" she gave a little laugh and waved her hand. "No, I'm fine-I'm fine."

  
The older woman's expression clearly showed she did not believe this for a moment, but shrugged her shoulders slightly. "If you say so, but if you need to talk you know I'm always here."

  
"I know mom." Her grandmother had always been her confidant. She loved her parents dearly of course, but Tala had always been the one she could speak openly with, who was willing to support her no matter what decision she made. There was no question that she would have laughed at the idea of her with Maui but she wouldn't have tried to stop her, because that's what she wanted. Her parents were...practical and that's what concerned her.

  
She followed Sina back into the village without another word.

* * *

  
Maui hadn't meant to leave so suddenly and without a word, but as to his own logic, the sooner he left, the sooner he could come back. He had a laundry list of things to do and what to bring back to the island of Montunui. He knew he had a lot of ground to cover, after all, Moana had been right a few years ago when she told him he was no longer a hero. The villagers were deferential to him, but he occasionally saw suspicious, distrustful and sometimes outright hostile gazes. He usually didn't pay them any mind, but that's why he liked to be around the kids of the village, they were always pleased to see him and hear his stories.

  
However, he wanted to make sure that there was nothing that could be held against him when trying to marry Moana. Well...besides what was already known about stealing the heart of Te Fiti. The thought of it still frustrated him to no end. His body was decorated with tributes of all the things he'd done for humans-but mess up one time-and in fact trying to give them something and you're still the demigod screwup.

  
He let out a sigh. It had been a colossal screwup, sure, but did it really warrant disregarding all the other things he had done? Besides, he had helped put it back, sacrificing his hook and nearly getting killed in the process.

  
The demigod put it out of his mind for now, he had to be able to concentrate on what he was doing, especially as he approached a pair of islands, a channel about a mile across separating them. Maui had warned Moana against venturing near these ones as there was a large eel-like creature that lived in the depths around them, particularly in the channel, that could suck down entire boats in his gaping, toothy maw.

  
Maui's aim now was to be able to lift that prohibition so that the islands could be explored. He knew how much Moana liked that and it could be neatly tied in with her Chiefly duties. He'd wanted to do this for awhile now, but, admittedly after a thousand years out of practice, fighting had not come back to him easily, especially after his beating from Tomatoa and he felt like he'd barely held out against Te Ka. He'd slowly been working himself back into shape to go toe-to-toe with the big guys again without being too worried about having his backside handed to him.

  
He grinned as his bird-shifted form dove down further towards the water, letting out a triumphant " _Chee-hoo_!" as he dove down, taking the form of a shark and setting out to look for trouble.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the delay, the end of December was not my friend :( Hoping for a good new year and I hope all of you had a good one too! :3 Extra long chapter this time so strap in and I hope you enjoy it!

Almost a month had gone by and Moana was beginning to think that Maui had indeed changed his mind. And if he had she didn't know what to do. A few suitors had come to call on her, and she'd been awkward and clumsy, not sure how to act. She didn't want to give them false hope in thinking she was interested and at the same time there was that niggling worry that she might have to choose one of them, so she couldn't afford to distance herself too far. Her parents certainly didn't approve of her behavior, but there was no way she could explain her strangeness to them, so she continued to stumble through on her own.

  
So when one of the villagers approached with the news that there was a boat coming up to the island she couldn't keep her stomach from sinking. Another one? She wasn't sure how many more she could take. She plastered on a smile however and nodded. "Right, well we should prepare for a guest then-"

  
"It's Maui!" one of the kids shouted, stumbling to get to them, a huge grin on her face. Moana felt goosebumps rise on her skin and let out a nervous chuckle as she got to her feet and made her way towards the beach, trying not to hurry. By the time she got there Maui had already pulled his canoe onto the shore and the word had spread to the other children. She had seen the small ones running past her to greet him first. He laughed as they climbed him and clamored for attention, begging to be told stories of his latest escapades, including a new tattoo he had gotten since Moana had seen him last.

  
The demigod lapped up the attention eagerly, but looked the slightest big chagrined upon seeing the unhappy look on Moana's face. He put the kids back onto the sand and promised to tell them all about it later, no details spared, but he really needed to talk to the Cheif-lady about some very important business. They nodded and took their cue to back off for the time being.

  
"How's it going Curly?" Maui tried for a playful tone.

  
"You've been gone for weeks," she pointed out. She didn't want to be petty and angry with him, but to just take off without saying anything and come back acting like everything was perfectly fine grated a little on her nerves. "I wasn't sure what happened to you."

  
An expression flickered across his face, guilt mixed with...something like disappointment, as if he couldn't believe she didn't think he'd come back. "Well...you told me I had to bring gifts," he smiled faintly. "Couldn't just be anything." 'Not for you.' he thought to himself.

  
Her expression warmed slightly, but only very slightly. "You could have told me."

  
He gave a helpless shrug. "I just...got an idea in my head and wanted to get it done right away. I didn't mean to worry you." Mini Maui put his hands behind his back and seemed to kick at the ground like an apologetic child that was being scolded.

  
She rolled her eyes. "Well, you're back now and that's what matters I guess."

  
He smirked slightly. "We're going to have to find your parents then, huh?"

  
She blushed and looked down before giving a nod. "I uh...haven't told them," she admitted. There was that flicker of disappointment on his face again but he bobbed his head in understanding. "Hey Maui...?" she asked slowly. He grunted and she smiled and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you. I'm glad you're back."

That got him to crack another smile and he squeezed her gently.

  
She pulled away with a smirk and poked him in the side where a new tattoo had appeared of one of the Mini Mauis riding on the back of a large eel creature with his hook around its neck. "So what's that one?"

  
He winked at her. "I'll tell you later."

  
She tilted her head curiously and smiled. "I'm going to hold you to that. And no more disappearing," she admonished playfully.

  
He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Whatever you want princess."

  
"Still not a princess," she stated, wagging a finger at him before starting back to the village.

* * *

  
Maui felt incredibly apprehensive as he stated to follow Moana into the village, but, blissfully, after a few steps she indicated that he should stay near the beach and she'd get her parents to come there so that they could talk. She also took the children with her as she walked by the path where they had gathered hoping to jump the demigod as soon as the Chief left.

  
That left Maui all alone on the sand and he huffed a breath, spinning his hook in his hands idly. He tried not to think about all his doubts and fears, focusing on the heft and weight of the weapon that felt like an extension of his own body. The time it took for Moana to fetch her parents almost felt like another eternity on that spit of an island he'd been trapped on. Almost.

  
When they came back Moana was smiling slightly and the demigod plastered a grin on his face as well, fake it til you make it and all that. Her parents looked at him expectantly.

"Moana says you have something to discuss with us?" Tui stated after a moment. Sina looked concerned, as if she already knew what this was about.

  
The demigod gave a curt nod. "Yes. I'm here to ask to marry Moana," he said, his voice carrying some of it's normal bravado, but it seemed almost...brittle in a way. Moana's mother's brow furrowed further in concern and Tui looked a bit surprised.

  
Maui could feel his heart pounding-or was that Mini Maui moving? He glanced down to find his tattoo double with his heart popping back and forth from his chest and quickly flicked him to his back, giving a less than confident smile now that his real feelings had been revealed.

  
Surprisingly the concern seemed to smooth from Sina's expression at the display, she knew Maui had been human once. While she wasn't as close to her daughter as Tala had been Moana still shared more with her than anyone else. "Moana?"

 

The young woman tucked her lips in, in a nervous tick she still had. "Mm-hmm?" she hummed nervously.

  
"Would you accept his proposal?" she smiled. After all, it was most important what Moana wanted, she hadn't expressed much interest in the other suitors and Sina was starting to see why. She'd spent a little time with the demigod, he was a good man, even if his ego was a bit big, most men seemed to have that problem to some degree in her experience. If this was what Moana wanted she'd certainly have her work cut out for her.

  
"Sina," Tui looked a bit surprised at the question.

  
Moana blushed a bit but her answer was a firm, "I would."

  
The demigod would glow if he could, he felt so pleased, a warmth radiated in his chest. He wasn't sure what made it feel different this time. Maybe because it wasn't just the two of them, she was saying it in front of other people, her parents in fact. Arguably the most important people in her life. That thought actually gave his heart a little pang of jealousy.

  
Tui sputtered a bit, as though trying to get out an argument.

  
"You said this was Moana's choice to make," his wife pointed out.

  
"Well I know I said that, but-"

  
Moana interrupted him. "Maui also brought gifts as a show of good will," she smiled, gesturing at the boat behind the demigod. Taking his cue Maui jumped up onto the canoe, which was itself part of the offering-with his hook he could fly, not much need for a boat. He proceeded to hand over the different items he'd accumulated over the past few weeks, greenstone jewelry, finely woven nets, and a few furs of animals they hadn't seen before.

  
"And my last offering is for you Moana," he said, his gaze fixed firmly on her as she inclined her head slightly in interest. "Those twin islands I warned you to steer clear of? Well, that shouldn't be a problem anymore," he smiled.

  
"Your tattoo..."

  
His smile widened a bit and he nodded. "I took care of the eel, so now you-we?" he glanced at her parents. "have something new to explore."

  
Sina looked expectantly at her husband who let out a soft sigh. "I think we need to discuss this."

  
Moana looked over and Maui once again felt that concern roil in his guts, but she had that steely look in her eyes that he knew all too well. There was no swaying that girl from a decision once she had her mind set on it. He'd been on the receiving end of that look too many times. A soft smile touched his lips. "Sure, take all the time you need." He could tell he was not a wanted part of that conversation. "I promised some little rascals a story, come find me whenever you're ready." He gave a little nod of his head towards her parents before turning his back to them and shooting Moana a wink and two thumbs up in a 'go get 'em' gesture that made her smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it I would love some feedback :3 It really helps keep me motivated! <3 Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

"But he's a demigod, surely he can't be-I mean," Tui cut off abruptly as Moana's eyes narrowed, sensing weakness and striking at it.

"Can't what?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips, waiting for his response.

Sina looked up from her weaving and shook her head as he managed a few flustered sounds. "Don't you worry that he might take off?"

That one struck a little more true, her confident expression chipping slightly before she answered. "He always comes back. Besides, why would he need to? We've been travelling ourselves."

"Why indeed," the chief nodded, and Moana's lips tightened upon seeing his point. They had been travelling for the past few years and yet Maui still went off on his own. This was making her angry. She  _wanted_ this. And what made Maui any worse than the boys or men that had shown up trying to court her? Most of them saw her as a hero, or as a princess needing to be married off-to them of course. She disliked the latter the most, the former was just embarrassing. At least she knew Maui. And he knew her, knew her before she helped save life as they knew it, and he didn't treat her any differently.

Well, maybe a  _little_ differently.

"He might travel himself, but he won't leave," she said, her voice calm and firm.

"How do you know? Moana-"

"No. I know because he has always returned. Why would he keep coming back if he intended to leave anyway? No. I'm sure that he's going to stay. Will you give your blessing or not? You told me you would respect my choice, and this is what I've decided on."

Tui let out a quiet, though long-suffering sigh before looking at his wonderful, headstrong daughter and nodded slightly. "You're sure this is what's best for the village?"

She blinked once. Of course not, she wasn't sure at all of that but an answer came to her rather quickly. "I am the Chieftan. Maui won't have to do anything-besides maybe slaying any kind of monster that might show up." He would get a great amount of joy from that she was sure.

He nodded again. "You have your mind set, I don't see any choice but to give you my blessing."

Her jaw set slightly. "But you don't think it's best."

He stepped closer to her and pressed his forehead to hers. "What is best for you, is best for everyone."

Sina snorted a laugh.

* * *

 

Maui had told four or five of his longer stories to the kids and was now starting to get rather concerned about the lack of seeing Moana and her parents. He wondered if they were really giving her that hard of a time. 

He was just finishing up the seventh when Moana appeared, a smile on her face. The demigod found a huge grin appearing on his own as well as he bounded to meet her. She laughed as he scooped her up. "I take it they finally caved?"

"Dad finally gave up, yeah," she giggled. "We have to head back to Motunui for the ceremony though."

"Alright-let's go then!" he said and she let out a bit louder laugh.

"We have to pack provisions, we'll be leaving in the morning," her expression sobered just a bit as she looked up at him. "You're sure you want to go through with this? There's still time to get away..." she said, only half-teasing.

He tilted his head slightly as his signature smirk appeared on his face. "Oh I get it- _I see what's happening here..._ " he started to sing

"Don't start-"

_"You're face-to-face with greatness and it's strange you don't even know-"_

"Maui!" she laughed and shoved at his chest, but when he didn't stop she grabbed his face and kissed him. They could both hear the kids let out sounds between hollers of exuberance and gagging sounds. They didn't pay any mind until Moana finally pulled away with a cheeky grin. " _You're welcome~"_

The man was left staring as she hopped out of his arms and sauntered off, presumably to help get ready for the trip. Well, two could play that game. Surely with a demigod helping out they could get moving twice as fast!

* * *

Turns out that the villagers were as hard to get moving as a barnacle demon. Maui was eager to get going, but Moana explained to him that there were 'plans' to be put in place and they'd have to stick to it. The demigod just liked to keep on rolling, so waiting was not his strong suit. He'd wasted a thousand years on that island, he really didn't want to waste anymore time, but he'd also waited six years to do anything regarding Moana so another night on an island and some time at sea wasn't really that long...probably.

Everyone had bedded down for the night, wanting to get an early start the next day. They'd given Maui a place to sleep as well, but he found himself on a rock overlooking the ocean, the waves lapping rhythmically against the sand. He and the ocean had never exactly  _gotten along_. Then again his mother had tried to drown him in the ocean, so, not the best introduction. "Hey Ocean..." what came over him to start talking to the ocean he'd probably never be sure, but here he was anyway. The water seemed to give no reply, but he knew it was listening and continued undeterred. "I know we don't always get along." The water hit the rocks in a way that send up a small torrent of water a few feet away, the sound suspiciously like a snort. "But you like Moana, right? And I like Moana too. So, could you maybe do me a favor and uh...speed up the trip back to Motunui tomorrow? Maybe? Just a little?" he smirked. He looked out over the water, trying to see some sort of response to his request and when nothing happened he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, I'm gonna take that as a yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since any kind of update ;n; I moved computers and lost documents and I'm moving, and getting a new car. All sorts of things going on IRL that have been keeping me away from this. I'm hoping I can finish it out soon, maybe 1-2 more chapters? Also I know this chapter was pretty short, but I thought it was cute and hope you guys enjoy it too :3

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry to leave it there, but I have to get to bed. Hope you guys enjoyed and I'm planning on continuing this a bit further :3 Also the rating might go up...I'm kinda new here so I'm still figuring out the system. I used to write on fanfiction all the time...


End file.
